Nanny to Mommy

When you are nearing the end of your pregnancy, you need to start making preparations for the big day. There are a lot of things to think about before, during, and after the birth, so you need a detailed birthing plan in place ahead of time. One of the main things you need to decide is where you are going to give birth.

Some people might decide that they want to give birth at home instead of going to hospital and there are a lot of other considerations to make here. But even if you decide to give birth in a hospital, you need to make sure that you put plenty of thought into which hospital is right for you. These are some of the main factors you should consider.

Firstly, you need to think about the location of the hospital. A lot of people make the mistake of choosing the closest hospital to them without thinking about anything else. But the closest hospital might not be the best place for you, so make sure that you consider all of your options before making a decision. However, you still need to be able to get to the hospital relatively quickly when you go into labor, so strike a good balance and find a hospital that is easily accessible.

You need to be confident that you are in good hands when you are going through the birthing process, so it’s important that you check the expertise and experience of the specialists that will be helping with your delivery. It is relatively common for babies to experience issues like erb’s palsy as a result of mistakes during the birthing process, meaning that parents have to consult an erbs attorney and make a medical malpractice claim. Mistakes like this put your baby at risk and they are a lot more likely in a hospital with inexperienced staff. So, you should always check the credentials of the medical professionals working at the hospital and how much experience they have.

It’s also worth asking about any specialisms and specific experiences with difficult births. There are a lot of complications that can arise during the birthing process and knowing that there are people trained to deal with them will put your mind at ease and keep you and your baby safe. Special care nurseries, in particular, are something you should look for. These are facilities with nurses trained in the care of premature babies born after 32 weeks of pregnancy. If you go into labor prematurely, it is important that you are in a hospital where your baby will get the care they need. In addition, the hospital should have all of the right equipment on site. For example, there should be a spillage kit in hospital to safely eradicate biohazards and contaminations and you will also want specialist neonatal equipment like incubators.

When deciding on a hospital, think about how you want to give birth. You will make these decisions when coming up with your birthing plan and you need to consider options like water births and whether you want pain relief or not. There are a lot of alternative birthing options like aromatherapy and whirlpool tubs, which will not be on offer in every hospital. So, do your research into different birthing methods and support options and then decide what is right for you. Then, you can start drawing up a list of hospitals that offer these options.

Once you have given birth, you need space to recover and bond with your baby. Having the right space to do that is vital and the facilities on offer vary a lot depending on the hospital. Ideally, you want somewhere with postpartum care rooms that are separate from the labor and delivery areas so you have a relaxed environment. A team of experienced nurses that can answer your questions and provide breastfeeding support is very important too. Having that strong support network around you will make your recovery so much easier. You should also think about some of the smaller details, like the quality of the food on offer, for example.

Before you make any decisions, you should always visit a number of maternity hospitals. Most places will be happy to give you an in-person tour so you can get to know the facilities. During the tour, make sure to ask plenty of questions so you can compare different hospitals. When you are closer to your due date ask to take another tour so you can get to know the nursing staff and familiarize yourself with your surroundings. You can’t afford to rush anything when choosing your maternity hospital, so make sure you consider all of these factors.